A good man brings good out of the good treasure of his heart, but a wicked man brings what is wicked out of his wicked treasure; for out of the heart’s abundance his mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45
Good question. When I think back on my younger days I realize I was impetuous, especially in my speech. I was quick to blurt out whatever was on my mind, and at times it was not nice and often it was harmful to not only me, but the person(s) hearing it. I am sure my mouth did a lot of damage. As I grew older, I have come to appreciate the value of taking a step back in heated or uncomfortable situations and pausing before opening my mouth. It has not been easy and it is something I continue working on every day. Some days are better than others.
This is another Bible truth I have learned over time:
So, too, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it makes great brags. See how small a fire it takes to set a great forest ablaze!
James 3:5
How true! You would think your little ol’ tongue would be easy to control, right? But oh my, when it gets away from you, the trauma that can be brought forth! I have set many a fires with my dear little tongue over the years. I am a work in progress and continue working out this aspect of myself. The tongue is proven to be a capable weapon there are many comments about the damage a tongue can do in the Bible but in contrast, it also speaks of the good that your tongue can do. In my experience, all of these statements are true.
They sharpen their tongue just like a sword; They aim their cruel words like arrows,
Psalm 64:3
The tongue of the wise makes good use of knowledge, But the mouth of the stupid blurts out foolishness.
Proverbs 15:2
Thoughtless speech is like the stabs of a sword, But the tongue of the wise is a healing.
Proverbs 12:18
So as you can see, while our tongue can cause so much heartache and pain to ourselves and others, it also can be used for healing, calming, and sharing good things with others. We don’t usually think about the tongue and the power it holds. So many people in the world do not think they should manage the way they speak to others or monitor the words coming out of their mouths, but to me it makes sense that as a person proclaiming to be a Christian, it is VITAL that I use my tongue for good things. I am told through the letter from my Heavenly Father that the tongue is for building up and teaching.
For “whoever would love life and see good days must guard his tongue from bad and his lips from speaking deception.
1 Peter 3:10
Know this, my beloved brothers: Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger, for man’s anger does not bring about God’s righteousness.
James 1:19-20
If any man thinks he is a worshipper of God but does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he is deceiving his own heart, and his worship is futile.
James 1:26
It is so important that we guard our tongue and try to control what we say. The positive results of using good speech can far outweigh the results of just blurting out whatever is on our mind. We can help heal others with positive speech, we can show our love of our fellow man. Indeed the tongue has power, and how we use it is up to us but I plan to continue working on controlling my tongue and showing love in the words I say, even if those words have to be used for discipline or to straighten out a problem. Below are a few more examples of the power your tongue has to affect others.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; Those who love to use it will eat its fruitage.
Proverbs 18:21
He does not slander with his tongue, He does nothing bad to his neighbor, And he does not defame his friends.
Psalm 15:3
By patience a commander is won over, And a gentle tongue can break a bone.
Proverbs 25:15
She opens her mouth in wisdom; The law of kindness is on her tongue.
Proverbs 31:26
In the same way, unless you with the tongue use speech that is easily understood, how will anyone know what is being said? You will, in fact, be speaking into the air.
1 Corinthians 14:9
Let your words always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.
Colossians 4:6
In closing, I hope this blog helps others as it has helped me to see the benefit of training my tongue to always think about things before speaking and to determine if the things I will say are going to build up or tear down the person I am speaking to. Because my motto is that “I do IMPERFECTION, PERFECTLY”, I know I will not always get it right, but as long as I am trying to improve from the heart, that is what matters. When I make a mistake I hope to be humble enough to admit it and seek forgiveness from the other person as well as my Heavenly Father. I will continue to strive to bring forward good things from the treasure of my heart and hope that my strong little tongue may always be used for the power of good!
I have told you before, it was me seeing you attempt to control your tounge that motivated me to try harder. 1 Peter 3:1-2 is true “you wives, be in subjection to your husbands, so that if any are not obedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives, because of having been eyewitnesses of your chaste conduct together with deep respect.”
It was your chaste conduct that prompted me to try to tame my own tounge, which as we know is something I am still working on.